


Fast Car

by DragonJadeMountain



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Angst, I'm Bad At Tagging, Light Angst, Logan and Patton are there, M/M, Prinxiety - Freeform, Sad, Sad Ending, Songfic, Virgil-centric, but only for a moment
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-26
Updated: 2019-02-26
Packaged: 2019-11-05 23:32:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,403
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17928458
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DragonJadeMountain/pseuds/DragonJadeMountain
Summary: It was a whirlwind. Somewhere, deep down, he knew it couldn't last, but he was going to try anyways, no matter how much it hurt.A songifc for "Fast Car" by Tracy Chapman





	Fast Car

**Author's Note:**

> I've had this idea in my hand for a while, ever since I first heard the song, and this isn't as well-written as I'd like it to be, but I'm glad I was able to get it out

_You got a fast car_  
_I want a ticket to anywhere_  
_Maybe we make a deal_  
_Maybe together we can get somewhere_

 

_Anyplace is better_  
_Starting from zero got nothing to lose_  
_Maybe we'll make something_  
_But me myself I got nothing to prove_

 

It was a wild romance from start to finish. Virgil should have known it wouldn’t last. He should have known it would be a whirlwind, but god knows that it was one hell of an adventure. They had met when he was 16. Roman had been 17 at the time. Virgil had quit school the year prior, to make more time for getting as many jobs as possible to take care of himself and his father. Roman had been obnoxious at first, but hard not to love in his own unusual way and Virgil had fallen hard and fast.

 

It was hard, living in a small town, just him and the father who always seemed to be nursing a bottle that never went empty. Money was tight, the alcohol bill was high, and the bills built up and up and up. Still, Virgil was young and stupid and looking for an adventure and Roman was all that and so much more.

 

He was early mornings visiting at the small-time convince store he worked at before Roman disappeared off for school. He was returning late in the afternoon, eyes tired, stage makeup still caked to his face, a bundle of roses clenched tight in his fists. He was running home in the sudden rain, laughing all the way at the absurdity of it all. Roman was intoxicating and Virgil was addicted.

 

They had their first kiss in front of the gas station. It was stupid and impulsive, but Virgil had nothing left to lose. It was the first time he had thought about getting away, when they pulled back from the kiss, panting heavily, and eyes full of emotion. Roman had looked at him and smiled that easy smile and whispered in his ear to run away with him.

 

Virgil said that he couldn’t. Not right now, not when he had so much work left to do. His father was getting worse, there wasn’t any money, he couldn’t leave, not yet. But Roman had planted the idea in his brain, and like a seed, it sprouted and grew. Virgil wasn’t sure if it was a beautiful tree or a haunting vine that creeped into his every thought, but suddenly he could think of nothing else. He had to get away.

 

They ran away together only a week later.

 

Virgil had managed to save some money, and he had left some on the kitchen counter at home along with a note. He had packed what pitifully few things he had in a battered old suitcase and tossed it into Roman’s trunk and they had sped away together into the night. They had some money, but neither of them had enough, but it was worth it, Virgil was sure of it. It was so so worth it.

 

As they sped off down the highway, the rising sun triumphantly creeping up behind them and the streetlights slowly blinking off one by one, the wind running through his hair through the open sunroof, Virgil couldn’t help but laugh. There was a sense of freedom, a rush in his veins that he never wanted to let go. The whole world was at his finger tips, he could do anything. Be anyone. Or better yet, he could just be… him. Whoever that was.

 

When they made it to the big city, they didn’t know what they would find. They just knew they had each other and they would find a way to make it work. They checked in to a shelter, the only place they could afford. Virgil was quick to find a job, having lots of experience with getting one before and managed to start a small job at the register in a grocery store. It wasn’t much, but Virgil knew it would get better. It always did, didn’t it?

 

Roman was more picky. He was insistent that he could make it big in theater, but he never seemed to be working on any major productions. That was okay though, Virgil could be patient. It would take time.

 

———

 

It would take way too much time. It had been nearly a year since they had run away. Virgil had been promoted to manager of the store, and Roman, dear sweet Roman, had finally managed to snag a major role in his theater troupe and start bringing in money. It felt like a real victory at long last. After a full year of saving up, Virgil bought a house in the suburbs as a birthday gift to Roman.

 

Life was theirs again. It was running away all over again, the thrill of the excitement in knowing that the world could be anything, and you could be anybody that you wanted to be. You could do anything. Virgil could finally be Virgil.

 

And then Roman had wanted kids. Virgil had been so hesitant at first. He knew from first-hand experience about bad parenting and he only wanted to give his kids the best they could get, but Roman was insistent. Virgil agreed to adopting one, to see how it would go, and absolutely no babies. Roman agreed and a little Logan joined the party.

 

Six years old and intelligent for his age, he was cautious and frightened, but Virgil was ever-so patient. Even he had to agree, after some time, that getting a child waswonderful thing. He loved Logan with all his heart. And there was some pride in saying that he was a _father._ He had a _son._ It really made him feel like someone the world.

 

But as Logan entered his life, it felt like Roman was drawing out of it. Late night cast parties turned into full afternoons, and Virgil wasn’t stupid. He had seen Roman walking into the bar with his friends who were decidedly not into theater. Still, he didn’t pry. He knew Roman was his own person, he could be whoever he wanted to be.

 

So when he came home asking for another child, Virgil didn’t know what to think. He loved Logan dearly, but were they ready for another kid? And so soon? Still, he was always such a sucker and after a few days of prying and poking, they returned to the orphanage. A few days later, Patton joined their family.

 

He was seven, only a few months older than Logan and with a more emotional kind of intelligence than his brother possessed. They were opposites at first, but they grew to love each other, something Virgil was immeasurably grateful for. Even if something were to happen, at least they would always have each other.

 

He remembered when he had felt that way about Roman, that they had the world shared in the palms their hands and they could do anything, so long as they did it together. It seemed to fall apart so quickly, in hindsight. Mornings spent up at three am laughing quietly at some inside joke had turned to lying awake in a cold, empty bed, wondering when he would come home. Roman saw more of the back of a bar counter than he did his kids, but Virgil was patient. He was so so patient. He could wait.

 

He waited another year before he woke up to an empty bed and a note saying that it just wasn’t right and thanking him for the adventure. Virgil couldn’t bring himself the tears to cry. He wanted to. He wanted to so bad, but he couldn’t bring himself to cry. He just went about fixing the kids breakfasts like he always did, wondering how he would explain it to them.

 

Roman had sped into his life in a big fancy car, blaring his show tunes and loudly singing along. He had come along for the ride, swept away in the drums and melody, but when the journey was over, Roman had dropped him off and waved goodbye. Now all he could see was the tail lights and bumper stickers of his fast car as they disappeared over the horizon.

 

_You got a fast car_  
_But is it fast enough so you can fly away?_  
_You gotta make a decision_  
_Leave tonight or live and die this way_


End file.
